In court documents obtained by TMZ, Ghent alleged Howard began physically abusing her just seven days into their marriage. She claims Howard "slugged me across my face and neck" at one point and threatened to throw her over a balcony.

Ghent says the abuse continued throughout their one-year union, with Howard smacking her in the face and chipping her tooth with his wedding ring. He also reportedly told her, "If you tell anyone about my personal business, I will kill you and no one will ever know."

Howard, 42, quickly filed legal papers denying that he ever threatened the life of his estranged wife. He also claims Ghent is planning to "release private materials to third parties for her own personal financial gain" unless she received monetary compensation.

The two kept their marriage a secret for four months until the Cannes Film Festival in May 2010. Howard has three kids with ex-wife, Lori McCommas, whom he wed in 1989, divorced, then married again in 2005.